It's always fun to look forward to the spring makeup palettes from all the different cosmetic lines. Everyone is ready for pretty colors and new ideas when the cold and dreary weather is starting to get tedious!

Smashbox, a cosmetics line developed out of the photo studio in Hollywood of the same name, calls its spring color palette Runway Compact Studio. It is a small black box that unfolds into a 3-panel makeup palette. It contains blush plus a brush, 5 eyeshadows and brush applicator, a mini mascara, a mirrored compact with two cream eyeliners, a mirrored compact with two lipglosses, and a mini lip pencil. The compact also has a 3" x 3" mirror inside the "front cover" of the box. It's a really neat concept for housing practically all the makeup you need (except powder/foundation) to take with you when traveling or just for quick overnight trips. Everything is either built-in to the box or fits snugly in its own compartment. I think it would be a little too cumbersome for putting in your purse everyday though.

Let's start with the eyes: the kit contains 5 powder eyeshadows in pretty, neutral colors. I like how Smashbox reflected the floral/bright color trends in clothes for spring in the kits' eyeshadows while still making the colors very wearable. The colors are called Fade, a shimmery nude; Glow, a rosy pink; Dim, a very light olive green; Shine, a medium olive green; and Glimmer, a taupe-rose. All the shades have a faint shimmer. The shadows are easy to blend and lasted almost all day without creasing. It's easy to combine the colors in pretty eye looks. The little retractable shadow brush that comes with it will do fine in a pinch, but I would use a regular brush if possible. The mascara in black is okay, nothing extraordinary about it. The creme eyeliner duo comes in a round compact with a little eyeliner brush concealed in the compact itself. The colors are Khaki and Deep Mauve. The Khaki turned out to be a pretty olive green color that looked nice with the two olive green eyeshadows in the kit. The creme formula was pretty easy to apply after a little practice but it had a tendency to smudge, maybe because the formula is a little too creamy. The other eyeliner color, Deep Mauve, was difficult to wear because the pink/red tones in it made my eyes look red, almost like I was sick! I really didn't like that shade.

The blush in the kit, Capture Blush, is a matte pink with a hint of peach - a color that is very flattering on all skin tones. The formula went on smoothly and blended well into the skin. The brush that comes with it is a small, square-handled one with nice soft bristles and does a good job of applying the blush.

The lip glosses, Photo Shoot Lip Brilliance, come in a round compact with a tiny lip brush concealed in it, just like the eyeliner compact. The colors are a shimmery light pink, and a rosy brown (no shimmer). The rosy brown is a natural color that would enhance any skin tone. It looks darker in the compact than it does on your lips. It is a light glossy formula that feels good on the lips. The light pink color can be worn on top of the rosy brown, or by itself for a light lip look. The mini lip pencil in Print is a deep rose color that looks great with the rosy brown gloss. The pencil had a creamy consistency to it; it went on smoothly with no "drag" across the lips.

I liked the colors in the Smashbox kit for a pretty spring makeup look. I would definitely get a lot of use out of almost all of the colors. The kit is available Nordstrom and Sephora.com, and at smashbox.com for $59.00.

review: 2/04